Untune the Sky

Moles | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 19, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Flydaddy Records
• ASIN: B00004RDR0
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #222,508 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Bury Me Happy

2. Tendrils And Paracetamol

3. This Is A Happy Garden

4. Breathe Me In

5. Lonely Hearts Get What They Deserve

6. The Crown Souls

7. Rebecca

8. Europe By Car

9. Curdle

10. Wires

11. Nailing Jesus To The Cross

12. Accidental Saint

13. Rich Man (Original Mix)

14. Surf's Up

15. What's The New Mary Jane

16. Going Down

17. Saint Jack

18. Let's Hook Up And Get Some

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars tendrils and paracetamol, indeed, June 18, 2000

By 

Lanark (minneapolis, mn) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Untune the Sky (Audio CD)

Well kids, here it is at last the Cd you didn't know you needed in the first place but let me tell you, you do. A reissue of the Moles lp (+ their dbl 7" on Ringers Lactate.) Impossible to find even when it was released back in the day. (believe me I looked.)And just between you and me it's a corker. I've listened to it something along the lines of four times since yesterday and I'm still not completely sure how to describe the delights within. Richard Davies and his merry band seem to embark on a simple little pop song and then over the course of howsoever long it lasts twist it like a balloon animal into hazily obscene shapes. (And all with only the standard equipment of your average garage band, guitars bass, drums, vocal harmonies, an occasional keyboard, and beer.) There's a definite lysergic vibe lurking in here that readers of Ptolemaic Terrascope will appreciate, but not the usual 90's manner of cranking up the echo effects and using the word "mind" in every other lyric, it's in the way the songs seem to lurch along in one direction and then do something suprising or sometimes exactly what you'd expect them too only not like that. There's also that certain sense of darkness that always seems to seep into the best stuff from Australia and New Zealand. (But then there are some lovely straight ahead pop songs like "Rebecca" that would make the Bats or Go-Betweens proud.)A lovely compressed sparseness to the instrumentation too. All in all, even after trying, I'm still not sure how to describe it without resorting to extended metaphors involving various sticky secretions. But I'm finding it compelling listening anyway.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harsh, soothing, soft, loud, October 13, 2006

By 

John L Murphy "Fionnchú" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Untune the Sky (Audio CD)

Giving five stars (I'd give 4.5 at best) to this does not mean it's one of the top 100 albums ever made, but it is amazingly solid and enjoyably consistent. Richard Davies' thick Aussie accent will either charm or annoy you. His vocals are plain yet tuneful, somehow. His work after this with Eric Matthews in Cardinal received the critical acclaim, but I'd counter that this and the second Davies' solo album (done with the newly ex-Flaming Lip Ronald James) "Telegraph" are by far his best recordings.

The curiously named "Tendrils & Parecetamol" foreshadows the chemical landscape explored on this neo-psychedelic adventure. "Breathe Me In" mimics a drug trip well, with distorted shards of sound that upend and shake and fall. It takes you up and down as if on an aural rollercoaster, fittingly with flourishes of a carnival organ. The opener "Bury Me Happy" by contrast is melodic and peppy. These two songs characterize the range of the entire album, and show that Australian/NZ sound able to merge pop with experimental approaches. This is one of the top CDs to come out of that 80s/90s scene, and the youth of The Moles when they cut these tracks belies their considerable expertise.

You have to be in the open-minded mood for this, as it's not easy listening at times. The intense vocals, harsh passages, and sonic compression balance the accessible radio-friendly songs well, and if you find yourself liking Davies' vocal delivery, then this, like I said, is one of his two best recordings to date. Plus, Flydaddy's a reliable label for related lysergically-inspired efforts, and applause to them for this fine compilation.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars These Moles Are Good Moles..they can stay..., January 29, 2003

By 

happycaligirl "happycaligirl" (Sunny South Orange County, Calif.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Untune the Sky (Audio CD)

Okay, here's the deal. I was just now researching this CD to put it up for bid on ebay...BIG MISTAKE I NOW KNOW! Of course, the treasure-hunter I am does not allow me to let go of an open CD until I lend an ear. My one ear invited the other to join in and they are hooked & my soul is happy! Take the time to listen to this jewel-box full of ear candy. I bet you will have to put your ears on a diet or get them an anti-moles patch to wean them off of this one!
Listen and enjoy...enjoy....enjoy....ahhhhhh.......yeahhhhh......